It didn’t take long — just 5:09 of game time across the first and second periods — for Dylan Garand’s strong opening act to his chance as the Rangers’ starter to come to a screeching halt across the Hudson River.
asserted
act → take → River
It didn’t take long, just one 7-1 embarrassment against the Devils that ended with train times back to New York City being broadcast on the Prudential Center video board and “Rangers suck” chants, for the entire lineup to produce their first dud of the season in the first Battle of the Hudson matchup.
asserted
lineup → take → matchup
tRY IT NOWAnd after Garand allowed four goals across the disastrous stretch and was pulled in favor of Spencer Martin, Thursday night served as a reminder that for everything that emerged as bright spots for the Rangers in the first two weeks of the season, they’re still without Igor Shesterkin for the next six months.
asserted
they → try → months
Garand, for all the potential he has flashed, only has seven starts and eight appearances to his ledger with massive skates to fill.
asserted
he → flash → skates
It wasn’t entirely his fault, as the Rangers didn’t generate many chances across the final 40 minutes and had just 19 shots for the game.
asserted
Rangers → generate → game
But, after a start to the year where the Blueshirts had fixed plenty of their wrongs from 2025-26 by winning at home and defeating the Islanders, they failed to get another rivalry win.
asserted
they → fix → win
For once, it wasn’t Jack Hughes — who entered with 35 points in 26 games against them — tormenting the Rangers.
asserted
who → enter → Rangers
His brother, Luke Hughes, scored twice, while Evan Rodrigues, Nico Hischier, Arseny Gritsyuk, Stefan Noesen and Cody Glass all added goals for the Devils.
asserted
Rodrigues → score → Devils
Pavel Dorofeyev scored his second of the season on the power play for the lone Rangers tally, but by that point, with the Blueshirts facing a 6-0 deficit, it was far from being enough.
asserted
it → score → deficit
Garand allowed four goals on 14 shots and was pulled less than five minutes into the second period, with two goals in 31 seconds for the Devils — as they extended their lead over the Blueshirts to 4-0 — ending his night.
asserted
they → allow → night
Thursday marked the first time in his NHL career that Garand had allowed more than two goals in a game, and he entered the night with a 1.15 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage in 2025-26, which included a shutout against the Red Wings after Joonas Korpisalo’s injury and then consecutive wins following Shesterkin’s injury.
asserted
which → mark → injury
The Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead with just 29.6 seconds left in the first, when J.T. Miller whiffed on a cross-ice pass that ended up going right to Rodrigues — and then right past Garand — in the Blueshirts’ zone.
asserted
that → jump → zone
Then, 18 seconds into the second frame, Hughes’ shot seemingly hit Adam Fox’s skate and ricocheted past Garand.
asserted
shot → hit → Garand
Just minutes later, Meier scored off a rebound before Gritsyuk made it 4-0.
asserted
it → score → rebound
Everything unraveled quickly for the Rangers.
asserted
Everything → unravel → Rangers
Earlier in the first period, when Jack Hughes tore in on the rush, Garand kept a tough shot in front of him.
asserted
Garand → tear → him
As the Rangers were killing a penalty, Mika Zibanejad threaded a pass to Braden Schneider that nearly led to a goal.
asserted
that → kill → goal
The Blueshirts finished with four high-danger chances in the opening frame and generated 12 scoring chances compared to just seven for the Devils, according to Natural Stat Trick.
uncertain
Blueshirts → finish → Trick
But then everything that’d worked for them since the season opener in Boston — when they were shut out and imploded in the final minutes of the third — disappeared. The Devils controlled possession.
asserted
Devils → work → possession
They maneuvered around the Blueshirts’ previously sound structure with ease, creating plenty of open chances.
asserted
They → maneuver → chances
Late in the third period, Alexis Lafrenière was given a game misconduct for what he said to an official.
asserted
he → give → official
And if the last seven games served as the blueprint for the Rangers, if the previous two with Garand as starter served as their formula to win enough without Shesterkin to crack the postseason tournament, this was the antithesis of that.
asserted
this → serve → that
The Aporia
